Baaghi 2 is a Bollywood action film (read comedy) starring Tiger Shroff, Disha Patani, Manoj Bajpayee, Prateik Babbar, Darshan Kumar, Randeep Hooda and Deepak Dobriyal in crucial roles. The film is directed by popular dance choreographer Ahmed Khan, and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. If you remember, the first film (which I hated) had a quite likeable album, by Meet Bros., Amaal Mallik and Manj Musik. A “bonus” song by Pranay Rijia was released later. For this album, the music composers of the first film are completely forgotten, and except for Pranaay, they have all been replaced, by Sandeep Shirodkar, Gourov-Roshin, Arko Pravo Mukherjee and Mithoon. Now, I basically know that there will be a horde of remakes in this album, just by looking at the composers’ names — Sandeep Shirodkar and Gourov-Roshin have basically just created almost only remakes ever since they debuted. Arko and Mithoon’s songs do pique my interest, but nothing like “Oh, I’m so excited, I’m dying of excitement”.. nothing of that level. Anyway, let’s see just how well this album upholds the reputation (or demolishes it) of its predecessor.

Just because he has two songs, both remakes, Sandeep Shirodkar becomes lead composer for Baaghi 2. (It was Meet Bros. in ‘Baaghi’). His first remake is Mundiyan, a remake of Labh Janjua’s ‘Mundiyan Toh Bachke Rahi’. I must say, though, the song is quite enjoyable. Sandeep gets the Bhangra vibe right, and that’s the most important in such songs. Navraj Hans and Palak Muchhal make for some interesting vocals — especially Palak, who explores such songs once (okay, maybe twice, but not more) in a blue moon. She even raps! Navraj Hans is a vocal powerhouse as it is; there’s no use writing that he’s done well (it was taken for granted that he would). The one place Sandeep does mess up though, is the uncountable vocal breaks, disturbing proceedings many times, slowing down the pace of the song.
He doesn’t fare as well in his second song Ek Do Teen, remake of the song with the same name from ‘Tezaab’. Now, this is a very iconic song, not so much for its composition and music, (which was quite clichéd, if I may say so) than for Madhuri’s iconic moves on the dance floor. But even then, the flak the song is receiving is quite unjustified. Maybe it’s because the dance moves have been slaughtered (they have), or maybe it’s because the remake trend has achieved this abominable level these days. But the song isn’t that bad. Shreya substituting for Alka is a great decision; she sounds okay in the mukhda but amazing in the antaras. At least we haven’t gotten somebody like Neha Kakkar in charge of this song. The music is functional at best, with nothing remarkable in Sandeep’s new arrangements, except the easy-to-miss electric guitar riffs, and the spunky Bappi-ish disco sounds. Also, why does she only count till 20 here! That’s destroying the point of the song! 😂
Mithoon’s Lo Safar is a better result of his composition sung by Jubin Nautiyal, than the last one, which was ‘Tum Mere Ho’ (Hate Story IV). Here, at least, the composition isn’t overly sensuous, and not even trying to be. It is just a humble typical Mithoon melancholic melody, supposed to be a romantic song but playing more like a sad song. Jubin sings it well, and Mithoon’s arrangements consisting of nice guitar riffs, an amazing rap on many drums at the same time, and a serene flute, work wonders. Sayeed Quadri’s lyrics are just not the kind of lyrics he’s known for. Having written so many beautiful lyrics (especially the amazing ‘Ji Huzoori’ from ‘Ki & Ka’) for Mithoon, this should have been much better.
Gourov-Roshin’s Soniye Dil Nayiis also a remake of some T-Series pop single, whose credits on YouTube are so vague, they don’t credit the original composer, even in the video for the original song! The only good thing about this song, is that it doesn’t let Ankit Tiwari’s lazy voice get too much control over the song, because Shruti Pathak arrives at the right times to save us, with amazing aalaaps. Her portions are amazing, but the composition both of these singers have to sing is lazy, boring, dull and any other negative adjective you can think of. The composers try their best to ape Ankit’s composing style, so that his lines always end with us expecting a “Sunn Raha Hai Na Tu..” or a “Teri galliyan..” to follow. Too much said about this song.
The only composer repeated from ‘Baaghi’ is Pranaay Rijia, whose song ‘Get Ready To Fight’ from ‘Baaghi’ I neither reviewed nor heard (except in the movie) because it released late as a single track. Here he comes back to present Get Ready To Fight Again a song which you should be ready to fight again. That’s about it. I won’t tell you about the horde of singers roped in to sing a worthless song, and I won’t tell you about the actionless arrangements, even though this is probably the background song for when Tiger Shroff is showing off his stunts. This time the song gets a more folksy vocal treatment, thanks to Jatinder Shah’s vocals. Benny Dayal in the original song sounded terrible. (Let’s just put that out there since I hadn’t reviewed that.)
The best song of the album, more out of helplessness, than actually on its merit, is Arko’s O Saathi, a romantic melody sung by Atif Aslam, which fits perfectly into the Arko template of romantic songs. It might be a rehash of ‘Nazm Nazm’ (Bareilly Ki Barfi) and ‘Tere Sang Yaara’ (Rustom), with the exact same duff rhythm, and strings, and everything else, but it nevertheless sticks with you, because it is charming in spite of being heard before. Payal Dev’s humming lends the song a serene quality. The antara of the song is amazing; it follows a really unconventional composition, at least unconventional for Arko’s music. Atif sings it impeccably, especially the “Allah Mujhe” line. The hookline’s tune seemed forcibly stretched to cover about fifteen seconds of runtime each time it plays.. that’s about a minute that could’ve been spent in adding another antara! But I must say, Arko’s lyrics are beautiful, especially the mukhda!

While I still listen to ‘Baaghi’s music album sometimes even now, when I’m bored, I doubt I’ll listen to this album even one month from now. While “‘Baaghi’s album had zero remakes, this has four. While “‘Baaghi’s album was not a ‘BAAGHI’ (rebel) at all, this one totally is!

This Round-Up covers the rest of the albums of the November 2017 releases. Due to ‘Padmavati’s withdrawal from the 1st December release date, ‘Firangi’ and ‘Tera Intezaar’, have moved their dates to 1st December, so they will be included in the December Round-Up. The albums featured in this post are:

Relative newcomer Vishal Mishra gets two songs in the film, and I must say, these two songs are definitely going to consolidate his place in the industry, even though I think it had been consolidated right from the moment he debuted (that spark that a good debutant possesses is always discernible). I say so because both his songs can be counted as his Bollywood career’s best music as yet. The opening track, Khatam Kahani, is outright hilarious, putting to great use the Nooran Sisters’ folksy voices to concoct a song with a strong Rajasthani folk element, and still having an amazing melody. Harmonium, khartals and dholaks provide us with the required expense to travel to the land of kings. Raj Shekhar’s comic lyrics enhance the listening experience, and they are quite comparable to the lyrics of ‘Haanikaarak Bapu’ (Dangal), when the lovers agree to kill each other. 😃 After the delightful and upbeat folksy number, Vishal puts in extra effort to create a sad song that is just as soulful as the first song is peppy. Jaane De, though nothing that we’ve not heard before — the seven-beat rhythm, on Atif’s sugar-sweet vocals — is a treat to listen to, mostly thanks to Mishra’s amazing composition, not to mention Raj Shekhar’s excellence that reflects in the lyrics. The words have such a poetic twinge to them, it just calms the soul. Arrangements are soulful too — the guitars and tabla being most prominently beautiful. A nice Spanish guitar interlude is a perfect interval from the melancholia.
Rochak Kohli also gets to present two songs, the first a journey-based one, again with amazing lyrics by Hussain Haidry. The unexpected twist midway through the song really puts one off guard, but it is really innovative. The composition of the rest is quite pleasant, with a nice and groovy lilt to it, and Rochak Kohli presents it with a nice drumbeat. {He is quite good with drum beats — ‘Rozana’ from ‘Naam Shabana’ earlier this year was another song where he presented great drum work!} Papon’s feathery voice is perfect for the song. Rochak’s second song Tanha Begum, is at the peak of experimentation, and is probably the most experimental song I’ve heard this year so far, which is at the same time so entertaining. It is a clever take on Nawab Wajid Ali Khan’s classical song, ‘Baabul Mora’, which was also remade earlier this year in ‘Poorna’ by Salim-Sulaiman. This time though, Hussain Haidry’s lyrics give it a modern twist. Actually, the modern lyrics are interspersed with some very old-school lyrics, and the contrast is brought out even better with Antara Mitra handling the old-school parts with an amazing imitation of Suraiya, while Neeti Mohan handles the modern portions with an amazing rock template supporting her. Rochak’s composition for the whole song is different, and quote innovative: only the lyrics of the hook from the Nawab’s old song have been taken.
Ali Merchant steps in last moment to make a hastily-made Qarib Qarib Singlle Mashup, which is probably the worst track on the album. Also, it is just a mashup of ‘Khatam Kahani’ and ‘Tanha Begum’. The beats are mismatching and don’t fit in with the folksy vibe of the songs. These two songs don’t even REQUIRE a remix!

An enjoyable album from two young composers, where both of them bring out the best in them! The album is (barring the mashup) Qarib Qarib Perrfect!

Remake specialist Tanishk Bagchi leads the album, with two out of the five songs. Since he is the currently in-demand remake specialist, it would be treason not to demand yet another rehash from him. This time, the song chosen is Mr. India’s ‘Hawa Hawai’, which has been named Hawa Hawai 2.0. If I’m not wrong though, this is Hawa Hawai 3.0 because Mikey McCleary remade it already in 2011. 😆 The song itself is peppy, and a perfect celebratory number. Kavita’s vocals being retained is the best part of the song, while I can’t figure out where Shashaa’s voice is. The composer plays around with technology and cleverly copies and pastes the gibberish bits into different parts in the song, creating an overall whimsical and enjoyable effect. His second song too, is, coincidentally, based on the metaphorical flying. Manva Likes To Fly is the standard Tanishk experimental song, where the composer plays around with technology to merge electronic sounds and Indian classical sounds. The classical instruments in particular here, sounds beautiful. Shalmali’s voice is perfect for the uplifting nature of the song, and Vayu Srivastava as usual writes positive lyrics that make you smile by default.
Next up is the much overrated, in my opinion, Ban Ja Rani, in which Guru Randhawa represents his pop song composed by Haji Springer, in a way that it doesn’t fit into the movie’s setting at all — but since when has that mattered? The whistling is the catchiest part in this song. Amartya Rahut too, in his song, Farrata, tries to create a nice and upbeat song complete with a children’s chorus (Adithyan leads and sounds very cute) and enjoyable ukuleles. However, the song fails to create an impact. Armaan Malik fails to make the song sound better, and the composition is many notches lower than what Amartya offered in the recent ‘Tu Hai Mera Sunday’.
What really grabbed my attention is newcomer Santanu Ghatak’s Rafu, a beautiful semiclassical number, which really gave me the goosebumps. Written as soulfully as it has been composed, and sung just as beautifully by Ronkini Gupta, who has sung previously in ‘Aankhon Dekhi’ under the music direction of Sagar Desai. She is a voice to counter Kaushiki Chakraborty’s classical singing prowess.

This blend of music directors manages to provide the film it’s required happy-go-lucky touch, although very superficial. It is ironically the most mellow song, by debutant Santanu, that steals the show.

♦ Aksar Sune Huye Gaane: AKSAR 2 Music Review

The only song from the album that stands out right away is Aaj Zid, a wonderful romantic song with a groovy techno rhythm. Mithoon proves he is not only able to just make addictive romantic songs, but also club numbers. Well we knew that if you remember ‘Woh Ajnabee’ from his earlier days. Arijit sings wonderfully, and it is all in all a very nice and upbeat song, without letting go of the sensuality that should be a part of such a film’s music. The other two songs are the usual pathos-filled Bhatt-ish songs I have started to get afraid of hearing nowadays. Jaana Ve is so crybaby-ish, it is sad, and Arijit’s voice being auto tuned in the hookline is sad too, because he is a singer who doesn’t need autotuning! The antara of the song gives signature Mithoon goosebumps though! About Tanhaiyaan, the lesser said, the better. Pakistani pop is one genre which composers never experiment with, and present it as it is every single time. Here too, the fake emotions fail to penetrate our eardrums and touch the heart. The album is not even magnificent lyrically, which I would usually expect from a Sayeed Quadri-written album! But he seems to have moulded in with the stereotypical Bhatt setting as well.

An album which we have ‘Aksar’ heard. Definitely not as good as Himesh’s album to the first film.

With the title track of Dil Jo Na Keh Saka, I find that Shail Hada has lost that magic touch that used to be present in his voice until ‘Sarbjit’; he sounds terribly off tune in some places, while his co-singer, Shreya Ghoshal has been terribly miscast, and tries to fit into the mould of the song but fails. Shail-Pritesh’s composition is quite the typical 90s romantic song, and so fails to create much impact. However, the duo gets it amazingly right in the much more breezy and pleasant Bandh Khwabon Ki, in which Shail Hada thankfully returns to normal, barring some places. The composition here is thankfully, more contemporary and relatable. The finger snaps are really enjoyable, and the guitars are refreshing too.
Going to the retro portion of the album, Khwabon Ko Ankhon Mein is an enjoyable jazz number, and soulful too. The piano is splendid, as is the brass portion, because if the brass in jazz is bad, then it isn’t jazz. Aditi Paul sings beautifully too, touching the high notes effortlessly. The last romantic song on the album, Tanha Tanha Ghum Ke Dhunde Dil, is a pleasant and breezy love ballad, again, a bit more inclined towards the previous decade than the current. Nevertheless, it provides for a fun couple of listens, after which its beauty kind of wears off. Jubin handles the vocals well, and with the 90s-ish composition and his voice, it sounds like a runaway song from ‘Kaabil’. The guitars are good here too, and very simple. Aditi Paul has less to do here, so she pales in comparison to Jubin. Obviously.
Out of the upbeat songs, Band Viyah Da Baje, builds on Shail-Pritesh’s earlier ‘Tung Lak’ (Sarbjit), but still manages to turn out enjoyable — Divya Kumar & Pratibha Baghel with their energetic voices infuse life into the complicated composition — surprisingly the first really complicated tune on the album, and intricacy is the thing Shail-Pritesh and their mentor Sanjay Leela Bhansali are known for! The ‘Tung Lak’ hangover stays till the end though, especially in the female portions. The second upbeat song, Nadaniyan Kar Jaati Hai, is a youthful club song with a very avoidable composition and just as avoidable vocals. It turns out to be the worst on the album!

Shail-Pritesh can do much better than this, but I guess they are much, much better at those classical melodies like they presented in ‘Sarbjit’, and they must stick to that!

Poster Boys is an upcoming satirical Bollywood film, starring Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Shreyas Talpade in lead roles. The film is an official remake of Shreyas-directed Marathi film ‘Poshter Boyz’, and is also directed by Shreyas Talpade himself. The film is produced by Sunny Sounds Pvt. Ltd., Shreyas Talpade and Deepti Talpade. The film revolves around three men who suffer humiliation in their village when they appear on an advertisement for vasectomy, without their knowledge or permission. The film seems like a comic caper, at the same time trying to create awareness about this. The music, which I actually expect to be bad, just because this film seems like one of those films where music plays a minuscule role, is by four composer entities. Remake master Tanishk Bagchi comes back with a remake here, while Rishi Rich gets to compose an original. The album also serves as the debut vehicle for three new composers, a duo, Sunai Marathe & Shreyas Iyengar, and an individual, Sonny Ravan. So let’s see how this album with half its songs by known personalities, and half by newcomers, fares!

1. Kudiyan Shehar Diyan

So T-Series messes up with credits again — the old song ‘Kudiya Shehar Di’ (Arjun Pandit; 1999) which this song is a remake of, was credited to Dilip and Sameer Sen, but now they credit Daler Mehndi as its composer! Anyway, Tanishk (the go-to recreator these days) tries to infuse more life into the already lifeless and staid Punjabi number (or so I personally feel), by giving it a better mixed dhol arrangement, and having Neha Kakkar sing the female parts. But replacing one screechy singer (Alka Yagnik in the original) with another screechy singer, is not too wise! The only energy in the song is because of Mehndi’s amazing singing. Tanishk hasn’t actually newly composed anything; the song is just permutation and combination of the parts in the old song. Lyrics are functional, nothing great. An okayish remake of an okayish song.

Rating: 2.5/5

2. Kendhi Menoo

Rishi Rich is in charge of the next song: a nice hip hop number with a peppy and groovy beat that instantly has you hooked. The composition too, is quite catchy. Especially the hookline’s tune. The antara isn’t great, but good enough to go with the amazing beats. The arrangements are the highlight of the song, and those trumpet sounds are some of the best beats in a Bollywood hip-hop song this year. That being said, it isn’t like the song is extraordinary either, just surprisingly good enough and compared to the others in the album, it is a masterpiece. The vocals are nice too, with Yash Narvekar and Sukriti carrying the hip-hop vibe very well. I wish Sukriti wouldn’t mumble though. Ikka’s rap is good too! The lyrics are understandably ordinary. A good hip-hop number with a groovy “Rishi Rich beat”.

Rating: 3.5/5

3. Noor-E-Khuda

This song is the typical Bollywood sad Qawwali, which gets played in movies whenever things are going wrong. Usually it’s Sukhwinder Singh or Kailash Kher singing these Qawwalis, and sure enough, here, the newcomer duo, Sunai Marathe & Shreyas Iyengar, present the song in Kher’s voice. The composition itself is very maudlin and typically dramatic. The roopak rhythm, as overused as it is, sounds very heavy here, and I am beginning to feel like it should be used less often now! The tablas and claps too, are very typical — nothing new. The lyrics are good as they should be, but again, very typical. Kailash Kher has the tendency to bore in such songs, but here it’s everything else that draws you away from the song.

Rating: 2/5

4. The Posterboys Anthem

Singer ~ Shree D, Music by ~ Sonny Ravan, Lyrics by ~ Sonny Ravan

Now the second debutant gets to end the album with something called the “Poster Boys Anthem”, and I must say, it is quite a tedious anthem. And also one of the saddest debuts I’ve seen. The composition is dead, and seems like someone who doesn’t know much about what it takes to make a good song, came out and composed a song for an everyday morcha, and decided to use it here. I don’t even know where this kind of a song would fit as the theme song to a satire as this. The vocals are so bad, it’s unbelievable. SKIP!

Rating: 0.5/5

Poster Boys is yet another bad multicomposer album. It pains us reviewers when our point is proved that the multicomposer trend is slowly corroding the quality of music. Well, actually, the trend isn’t to blame here. The makers could’ve gone for more established and seasoned artists, who would’ve composed some good music!!

Raees is an upcoming Bollywood action / crime thriller film starring Shah Rukh Khan, Mahira Khan and Naseeruddin Shah in prominent roles. The film has been directed by Rahul Dholakia, and produced by Gauri Khan, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. The movie sees Shah Rukh Khan playing a gangster, and that’s pretty much all that we all know about it. The album has released one DAY before the movie, and that’s been frowned upon a lot, mostly by me, and I hated this promotion strategy, if you can call it a strategy. The film had three songs running around TV till the album decided to release a day before. Anyway, the music is by Ram Sampath and JAM8, which is Pritam’s Artiste & Repertoire company promoting new talent. One song by JAM8, it hasn’t been specified who has composed, while the two others are by someone named Aheer. So without further ado, (I mean, how can there be any further ado…) let’s see what this latecomer album has to offer, and whether it was worth the suspense.

The first song on the album takes the form of a (yes, again!!) remake of a popular old song. This time, ‘Laila O Laila’ from ‘Qurbani’ gets brought to the slaughtering counter. (Or is it? Let’s see..) Anyway, Ram Sampath takes charge of this ambitious remake. Ram Sampath is somebody I never have seen remaking songs. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but the only remake I remember him doing before is that remake of a folk song, ‘Ambarsariya’ in ‘Fukrey’). So he gets to do the remake to this hit club song of the Disco era. Kalyanji-Anandji’s tune for both mukhda and antara get retained, and that is always a pleasure to know. Not that I was a huge fan of the old song, but all celebrations in India (and please note that that is just figurative) are incomplete without this song playing at least once. With the original tune retained, remaking a song properly almost always becomes a piece of cake. Or so I thought. The tune has been retained, and the item-ish flavour has been retained, so as to keep as much similarity with the original and not make an out-of-place remake, but something still seems missing in the song. The arrangements are fantastic. What else can we expect when Taufiq Qureshi is in charge of percussions! Nothing but awe overcomes you when you hear the wonderful and grand percussions — they are so earthy! They make the song which was originally a disco song, a rural number. And that “Bubuchikum, boom bubuchikum” with which the song starts is just crazy! Thats probably one of the best parts of the song. The arrangements of course, like any item song, are incomplete without whistles and a backing chorus going “hey hey“. And everything’s been done here. Even the legendary trumpets (Ed Gibson) have been used and that epic trumpet tune to the hookline has been played throughout the song. But still, something seems missing! Pawni Pandey, who shot to fame with ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs’, has clearly left behind her Li’l-champ-ness. She tries very hard to get the nuances and various little bits of an item song right, but to no avail. (Similar to how Chinmayi couldn’t quite sing ‘Mera Naam Mary’ from ‘Brothers’ well). She only sounds very heavenly when she sings the line, “Laila o Laila Laila, aisi tu Laila“, (she sings in her actual voice there) but not in the lines where she actually sings AS Laila. (On retrospection, I think that might be backing vocalist Chaandni RMW.. So she sounds better than Pawni!) However, that backing vocalist who sings the “phabak phabak” part in this version somewhere in the second interlude, really aces his part! 😀 The lyrics to the antaras have been changed though the tune has been retained, and they carry on the spirit of the old song. At least Javed Akhtar has written something sensible and non-vulgar for such a song too, and not something yucky and stupid. Of course, Indeevar’s classic lyrics for the mukhda can’t really be replaced, can they? Ram Sampath tries his best to deliver a smashing remake, and I must admit, this is better than other recent remakes, (first and foremost, it has no rap! Yay!) but something still lacks, and I can’t seem to understand what!

Note: As I’m writing this review, this song seems to have volatilized from my brain! I mean, it released like a month ago!

Pritam Chakraborty’s Artists and Repertoire company, JAM8 get charge of the romantic song of the album. Now isnt it such an honour to compose a romantic song for THE Shah Rukh Khan? And I must say, the team has made a good effort in keeping with the star’s legacy. Before you start hurling curses at me, I will stop judging music by star value and let’s get on with the review! So the composer(s) [I don’t really know who it is exactly for JAM8] composes this song with a very evident feel-good vibe to it, and who doesn’t like such breezy music? The mukhda has a very sunshine-ish tune to it, and the hookline is so nicely inserted into it, just like a jigsaw puzzle piece that fits into another piece perfectly. (Must be some great quality cardboard that that jigsaw puzzle is made of! Sorry.) The mukhda contains some nice couplets followed by the interjection “O zaalima“, and these couplets have been put to such a nice and playful tune, you can’t help but groove to it, though it isn’t the most conventional of tunes. It reminded me of ‘Aaj Dil Shaayraana’ (Holiday)! It also has PRITAM written all over it; the composer(s??) have done a good job of recreating his style. The mukhda also has another line, which has the most brilliant of tunes, in a high scale of notes. (It’s the part that goes “Aankheinmarhaba, baatein marhaba“, in case you’re wondering.) The first antara is yet another playful tune that you just can’t get enough of, especially the seamless way the tune goes from low notes to high, in a very clever bridge note. And then the tune of that “marhaba” part comes back with different words, and so do the goosebumps! After the first antara, you think that the song would end, but JAM8 had more in store. When it continues you wait for another antara or the mukhda repeated (like most songs have nowadays) but what you get is even better. A brilliant conclusion comes in the form of nice Sufi-style lines, put to a heavenly tune and Harshdeep’s awesome vocals. The arrangements are fantastic, what with the trademark Pritam guitars and dholaks on a very breezy melody. Some techno sounds are very impressive, like that nice sound at the beginning of the song, playing all the time before Arijit starts, and after each “Ozaalima” hook, and in the first interlude. A nice rhythm of daflis (Iqbal Azad), quite similar to the one Pritam himself had given in ‘Gerua’ (Dilwale), gives a nice and traditional touch to the composition. The first time the “Ozaalima” hook crops up, there’s a nice hit of drums (Alan Hertz). The acoustic guitars that start the song (Pawan Rasaily & Arijit Singh) are wonderful and lure the listener into the song perfectly. Even the rock guitars actually rock whenever they play. The first antara has this wonderful ‘Tum Jo Aaye’-ish tabla rhythm, taking you back to the ‘Tum Jo Aaye’ days. The second interlude is phenomenal with a nice harmonium-led (Feroz Shaikh) traditional piece. Vocals are topnotch, with both vocalists impressing. Arijit is his usual charming self, and how I love his voice in such cheerful songs. I think even composers do, because I’m hearing less of his bawling and drawling nowadays. Harshdeep is fantastic too, and her husky voice was a perfect choice to get that small amount of rustic-ness required for the song. She also sings that conclusion stanza very convincingly. The lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya are a good, fine example of clever poetry and have a nice ring to them, especially when Arijit sings it. The fact that the lyrics are great has been proved already, when the makers resorted to lyrics for building up pre-release buzz for the song, instead of releasing teasers of the audio or stills from the video! “Jo tere ishq mein behka pehle se hi, kya use behkaana, O zaalima!” or “Jiski har dhadkan, tu ho aise, dil ko kya dhadkaana, O zaalima!” It is just, perfectly exemplary writing. A good attempt by ‘almost’ newbies JAM8, to create a good romantic track for SRK, and what they will get in return for this is exposure i.e, exposure that being in an SRK film gives you. Surely, bigger projects are in store for them now after the middling ‘1920 London’ last year!

Note: I’m not too sure whether it is the same people behind this song for JAM8, who were behind the songs for ‘1920 London’ (Kaushik-Akash).

Ram Sampath re-enters into the album that was rightly his before JAM8 were taken on board. His next song is a garba track, but it has shades of a romantic track. And this blend has been done so well, that at one point you think it’s a dance number you’re listening to, and at another point, you think it is an out-and-out romantic song. The composition, though quite typical to the genre, is very sweet and innocent, especially the wonderfully crafted hookline. Yes, it has a bit of a 90s touch to it, but that makes it sound all the more charming. The mukhda is a direct plunge into the melody of the song, with the hookline ‘hooking’ you from the very start, just like a hookline is supposed to. That one line that Ram has composed so that we can actually say there is some kind of mukhda (The ‘kehne ko toh khel hai…‘ part) is just sooooo sweet, and whenever it repeats in the chorus, you just can’t help but smile. The antaras have been composed in a just as melodious tune, with an even more evident 90s feel to it, and that touch makes it sound as good as it does! (You see, I have no qualms with 90s touches when they’re well done!) In the second interlude, there’s a wonderful very folksy Gujarati part, crooned by Karsan Sagathia, and that is something to look out for in the song. I like the way Ram has composed such a flavourful Gujarati track, though he isn’t Gujarati himself. That just reflects the unity in diversity of India once again, I guess? 😀 The arrangements are wonderful, and make the song sound grand. If you close your eyes and listen to them, you might just feel you are in the middle of a big Navratri function in the heartlands of Gujarat itself. The powerful, booming percussion (Nitish Ranadive) just can’t be ignored, as it provides such a foot-tapping beat throughout the song. The Gujarati folksy string instruments have been put to great use. That mandolin (Tapas Roy) is just too splendid to ignore! Overall, the arrangements by Sampath set up this very happy and grand ambience, and transport you to Gujarat. Vocals are too impressive to be true. Sukhwinder, as always, is great, but his voice sounds exceptionally well here — barring those small autotunes I can hear occasionally! And the “Chaiyya Chaiyya” (Dil Se) magic is recreated! Bhoomi Trivedi gets her next big song right after her debut in ‘Ram-Leela’, and making great use of the space she gets here, she shines. Her husky voice proves just right for the track, and at places, she sounds just like Sunidhi Chauhan. Karsan’s small interlude, is fantastic, and I don’t know whether it’s a new recording, or a recording of one of his old songs. Probably the former. I don’t know. I don’t think it should matter too. 😛 Javed Akhtar’s lyrics are good; a nice romantic touch is added to the Garba setting with his words. Other than that, there wasn’t anything too exceptional about them. 🙂 A song that will go down as one of the best Garba songs of Bollywood, joining the *recent* hits like ‘Nagada Sang Dhol’ (Ram-Leela), ‘Shubhaarambh’ (Kai Po Che).

Rating: 4/5

4. Dhingana

Singer ~ Mika Singh, Additional Vocals by ~ Team Omgrown, Music Composed by ~ Aheer for JAM8, Music Produced by ~ Omgrown Music (Ram Sampath’s company), Lyrics by ~ Mayur Puri

JAM8 comes back with yet another song on the album, this one credited specifically to new composer Aheer composing for JAM8. The song is your everyday gangster song, something full of attitude and loud beats that you might expect to play everywhere around for a while after the film releases. The composition by Aheer is quite good, getting the attitude and spunk quotient right, with the mukhda particularly starting the song off on a note that would get the listener hooked. As it progresses towards the hookline, the composition does get a bit heard-before and tedious, but bearable. It isn’t like the composition would bore you. The hookline itself is full of that gangster attitude. The one antara that follows too, has a nice retro-styled composition, and reminds one of Amitabh Bachchan’s Angry young Man days. One thing is for sure though, that this song will be played numerous times in parties and functions. The arrangements are your normal massy song fare, with loud masala movie styled percussions (that sound a bit too loud, thus reminding me of Sajid-Wajid’s ‘Madamiyan’ from ‘Tevar’), and cool guitars (Shon Pinto). The star of the arrangements, though, has to be the rock guitars tune, the one we heard in the trailer, and what people were calling the “Raees Theme”. They should’ve released an instrumental track based on that trumpet-and-guitars piece! Vocals by Mika are surprisingly not as irritating as they could’ve been, and that’s saying quite something! He adds a bit of a grunge to his voice in places, and it sounnds great! The song’s duration has been kept very short, under three minutes, and rightly so, situational as it is. Mayur Puri, returning in a film album as Lyricist after quite some time, writes functional lyrics, and from what I gather, it is a song where the gangster and his henchmen are celebrating about the success of their business. Enjoyable, but to an extent, that unfortunately gets reached quite soon.

Here comes another theme song revolving around the central character, Raees. This one has been composed by Ram Sampath and I’m guessing, was part of the album before SRK started making amendments in the album. I say that because it is horribly disappointing! The composition is a typpppppical Ram Sampath composition. But that’s not bad, is it? Well, it isn’t but the result isn’t too satisfactory either. Yes, the composition does have certain hooks that make it work, like the “Heilo haalaro hulle hullare ho…” loop, which is family catchy, but as a whole, it just doesn’t work out as a theme song which it is meant to be. The hookline seems like something that has been composed for an advertising campaign, and doesn’t seem like something you would add into a Bollywood album. Okay, even if it were sounding like an advertising campaign and sounded good, it would be fine. However, the result is a mishmash of confused sounds and tunes. Barring the vocal loop I pointed out, everything seems below the standards. I don’t even get how the track, which is heavy on trippy Latino and club beats, has found a place in such a folksy (till now) album. It is a bit too far-fetched, no? Arrangements are just that: A confused mash of techno beats and Taufiq Qureshi-ish percussion by Farai Arendse and Dayo Afolayan. Also, I don’t know where the Salsa-style beats came from in this song! Vocals by Ram Sampath sound good, but again, it really does not go well with the rest of the album. Again, the vocalists who have sung the vocal loop, fascinate. Ram Sampath and Hiral Brahmbhatt’s lyrics are a good description of Raees’s character, but could’ve done with a much better comoosition. Sadly, so underwhelming a theme song, that I don’t know if it even will be remembered as one.

As soon as the next song starts, you wonder whether you accidentally opened the “Raaz 5” album. The piano notes that the song starts with evoke memory of everything pertaining to the Bhatts. JAM8 returns yet again, with Aheer helming it yet again. And what follows is a very mediocre sad song, that would have (okay, might have) sounded better in any Bhatt album! The composition has been delivered strictly according to the Bhatts’ needs and requirements, and that template has been followed perfectly. Melancholia, check. Acoustic guitars and strings, check. K.K., check. However, was there any need of such a song here? A wonderfully earthy sad song a la ‘Naina’ (Dangal) could very well have been made as well. And my frustration about this song is much less about it being a trademark Bhatt-ish melody, than it is about it being such a mediocre composition! I mean, Shah Rukh had called in JAM8 to enhance the album, as he thought it was underwhelming, but in such short notice, all that JAM8 too, could offer, is this underwhelming song too! Everything about the composition sounds too heard-before and gives you the feeling that you could just as well hear all of this song’s elements in some other, better, actual Bhatt movie song! That much about the composition. Arrangements fare much better, what with a haunting chorus joining in to make it sound all the more pensive (and also dated, at times). The guitars (Roland Fernandes) help the song nicely throughout the duration. The strings very majestically grace the hookline. The best part of the arrangements are the clarinets and flutes (both by Shirish Malhotra), which you might need to strain your ears to listen to. K.K. as usual, aces the vocals, but again, I can’t help but thinking how bored he must’ve been singing this — a melody, the type of which he has sung a thousand times before! Manoj Yadav’s lyrics are a pleasure to hear, and provide the respite that the other aspects of the song do not. A misfit.

Rating: 2.5/5

7. Ghammar Ghammar

The last track on the album is a fun Gujarati folk song recreated by Ram Sampath. And I must say, it is quite impressive! The traditional composition has been given a nice techno revamp, and Roshan Rathod has rendered quite zestfully. What’s most impressive is that the techno sounds and the folk instruments blend perfectly and the techno sounds do not tamper the folksy feel of the song whatsoever. I really have nothing much more to say about this! Just enjoy this one! A short track to dance on in Navratri and/or Janmashtami! 😀

Rating: 3/5

Raees turned out to be quite some disappointment. First of all, you would think an album releasing so late (ONE DAY BEFORE THE MOVIE!!) must be so good for it to be delayed so much. After hearing the album, I could gather that the delay must be due to last-minute additions that clearly went wrong. Ram Sampath’s original music for the film getting scrapped, and JAM8’s new songs (out of which one is great, one is above average, and the other is average) being added like one month before the film releases, takes its toll on the album itself. Whatever was the idea behind this last-minute change of music really backfired on the music itself. And all the pre-release hype that could’ve been created by music has just been wasted. I can just say, Much ado about nothing!

Force 2 is an upcoming Bollywood action thriller film, starring John Abraham and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles, and Tahir Raj Bhasin in a negative role. The film has been directed by ‘Game’ and ‘Delhi Belly’ fame Abhinay Deo, and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, and John Abraham himself. The film is a sequel to Nishikant Kamat’s directorial, ‘Force’, which released in 2011. The music of ‘Force’, by South composer Harris Jayaraj, was quite nice, with many romantic songs being the best ones, and ‘Khwaabon Khwaabon’ being the thrilling USP of the album. With only one underwhelming song in that album, ‘Dum Hai Toh Aaja’, it turned out to be one of the most underrated albums of the year. This time, though, composers Gourov-Roshin take hold of the music. Earlier this year, along with Shaan, they had composed a song for ‘Great Grand Masti’, under the name Superbia. For this movie, Gourov Dasgupta and Roshin Balu, without their partner Shaan, have been roped in. The song from ‘Great Grand Masti’, I didn’t like much, so I can’t say much about my expectations from the duo. However, a guest composer in the form of Amaal Mallik also increases the chances of the album being a success. With just four songs, three by the duo and one by guest composer Amaal, I am sure the makers of the movie are more interested in the storyline than the music, but still hoping with crossed fingers that the music lives up to the music of the first film nevertheless! So let’s get ready to measure the force in the music of ‘Force 2’!

The first song on the album shouts patriotism right in your ear. The way it gets there though, is quite mediocre and average. Let me explain. The song starts off with a voiceover by John, after which comes a rap by Dev Negi. The actual melody composed by Gourov-Roshin comes after the rap, and it is good till there. I don’t deny it. But then the hookline comes and takes away whatever goodness the son had established. The hookline sounds so outdated and worn-out, and on top of that, it arrives so abruptly. The mukhda and hook don’t really blend in well with each other. There is practically no antara, and if I were to call some part of the song as one, it would be a part that consists of only a rap portion and the same tune that comes before the hookline in the mukhda. It all gets so predictable after a certain time. The song seems to rely mostly on the rap, and the patriotic voiceovers by John Abraham. The arrangements are techno sounds, that have fortunately been kept not so loud. The rock guitar that plays occasionally is impressive though. The vocals are just fine. Dev Negi impresses with the rap, but due to the very short part that he actually has to sing, he can’t shine in those parts. In the hook, he is joined by Aditi Singh Sharma, who can hardly be heard. John Abraham’s voiceovers sound out-of-place in an audio song. They could’ve just added it in the promos if they’d wanted. I really don’t like this method of including dialogues in songs. Kumaar’s lyrics are good, full of patriotism, and might be the only thing on the song meeting the requirements and expectations from this patriotic track. A disappointing start to the album.

2. O JaniyaSinger ~ Neha Kakkar, Original Composition by ~ Laxmikant-Pyarelal, New Composition and Music Recreated by ~ Gourov-Roshin, Original Lyrics by ~ Javed Akhtar, New Lyrics by ~ Kumaar

The second song on the album is a remake of ‘Kaate Nahin Kat Te’ (Mr. India). The song gets a club makeover from Gourov-Roshin, and as it starts, you get to know that it isn’t going to work out well, and it isn’t going to do justice to the original. The song starts off with some weird Arabic, (??) French (??) Or Spanish (??) lyrics that seem to be aping the way ‘Lovely’ (Happy New Year) started, with some similar Arabic words. (Or maybe gibberish). It is a horrible starting, with some lady sounding like she’s saying “serret lekhh baybee“, with too much emphasis on the “baby“. After that, it is pure techno music that follows. Thankfully, the duo has only used the hook of the old song, and tried to form a new song around that. Sadly, that seems to have failed. The mukhda is a typical club song composition, which fails to really create any interest. Cleverly, T-Series have named the song after the first line of the mukhda, so that no old song aficionados judge the song by its name and thereby proclaim that they’ve ruined the original. Which they have, anyway. The hookline is the same hookline that so many of us already love, but it doesn’t even sound good in the song, much less, sound good with that mukhda. The antara is a bit better in terms of composition, but you really can’t do anything when half the song engages you and not most of it. Neha Kakkar was practically expected to sing this song. She provides the little relief in the song, singing it with the required spunk. But she spoils the hookline, adding too much of nuances into it, and trying to sound a bit too cool. The last time the hook repeats, her love basically overflows, and she sings “I looovvve you love you love you love you” (at 4:03 in the song), which is enough to spoil the hookline for one last time. The arrangement is mainly techno music, that depends on a loop, to make itself noticeable. That tune plays all throughout the song, and it is quite an annoying tune. The techno music in the hookline spoils the sound of the hook as well. It all seems like such an overdose of techno music. Kumaar’s new lyrics are quite unbelievable. “O janiya, Tu nahin tha, Teri yaadon Se kiya Maine pyaar“. 😂 A song that could very well have been remade into a good romantic song, gets a club makeover and gets spoiled forever.

Amaal Mallik finally enters the album, after the duo Gourov-Roshin fail to create any magic. I expected Amaal to make up for the missing magic, but I must say, the result is quite underwhelming here too. Don’t get me wrong, I really love Amaal’s music. The composition this time around, too, is very soulful and emotional. Perfect for a romantic song that will grow on you like slow poison. However, I also couldn’t help but feel it was quite similar to many of his previous songs, like ‘Kuch Toh Hai’ (Do Lafzon Ki Kahani) and ‘Kaun Tujhe’ (M.S. Dhoni). The humming, he has used many times, and that particularly, was the setback for me. The mukhda is beautiful, while the hookline is so mellifluous that it just gets stuck in your head. The antara sounds very similar to the mukhda, it is hard to differentiate between the two, but it is well composed. The arrangements are minimal, with the acoustic guitars and strings really doing a great job. In an interlude, a rock guitar with a muffled voice, sounds like a lounge treatment has been given to it, and it sounds great! The star of the song, though, is definitely the mandolin. Every time it plays, it sends a chill down your spine. The entire feel of the song is all in all, quite haunting, and I would’ve enjoyed it more, had it been a bit different-sounding from Amaal’s earlier compositions. Armaan is a star, and he proves again how merely his voice can elevate a composition to another level. He adds little nuances to the composition which really make it stand out in those parts. Rashmi-Virag, as always, write awesome lyrics, and become yet another reason to listen to the song. Their writing is always full of soul and emotion, and that’s proved here too. One of Amaal’s weaker songs, due to the overlap with his previous songs. However, his arrangements, Armaan’s voice and Rashmi-Virag’s inexplicable writing, make this worth hearing at least a couple of times!

Gourov-Roshin come back into their album, with yet another overdose of techno music. The song is suitable for the thriller genre, and with the pacy techno arrangements, it has its things right. However, it falls flat in the composition. The mukhda starts off very flatly, so much so, that the listener can even get bored right away. It actually sounds like something composed just for the fun of it, and not meant to feature in a major motion picture soundtrack. The duo’s composition is painfully non-creative, and follows the path of many previous failed techno thriller songs. The hookline is just plain bad, I can’t put it any other way. The antaras have just as much in their favour as a child who hasn’t studied for the Maths exam. The duo try to cover their mediocre composition with some techno music, but it only sounds good at the beginning, where it does some nice little disco thing that is impressive and reminiscent of the 80s disco era. All throughout the rest of the song, are stale and boring techno sounds that fail to interest the listener. Some occasional Arabic drums do the trick though, being the only catchy sounds in practically the whole album. Amaal’s vocals haven’t been tuned properly, and firs of all, he shouldn’t have sung this song. Someone with a more strong voice like Suraj Jagan or the like should have been approached. Even Amaal seems uninterested in singing the song, as I can make out from his voice. The duo could’ve done some autotuning there, because other people even use it for singers who don’t even require it. Kumaar’s lyrics are pretty mediocre. SKIP!

Force 2 seems to be one of the worst albums of the year. With not even one track being completely lovable, the album falls short of expectations from every which way. What Harris Jayaraj did in the first installment, and what Gourov-Roshin give in the second, have many miles’ difference between them. Amaal’s guest song does become the best song of the album, but could’ve been better in itself too. But with T-Series relying on what the audience wants and depending on old songs remade to do the trick, I doubt that could’ve been possible. A FORCELESS ALBUM, WITH AN OVERDOSE OF TECHNO MUSIC!

Mohenjo Daro is an upcoming epic adventure drama/action film starring Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde in lead roles, and Kabir Bedi and Arunoday Singh in supporting roles. The movie is directed by the ‘Lagaan’, ‘Swades’, ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, ‘What’s Your Raashee?’ director, Ashutosh Gowariker, and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Sunita Gowariker and Ashutosh Gowariker himself. The film is set in 2016 B.C. in the ancient city, Mohenjo Daro. It revolves around a farmer, Sarman (Hrithik Roshan), who falls in love with his enemy’s daughter, Chaani (Pooja Hegde), a dancer. After seeing the trailer, the historical accountability of the film has been doubted by almost everyone, and to me, everything looks over the top. That leaves only one thing for me to be waiting for, and that is something you get no prizes for guessing. It is the soundtrack to the movie, composed by the genius A.R. Rahman, whose Tamil album just received a great response from me. Now it’s time to see how his first Hindi album of the year fares, and being an album for an Ashutosh Gowariker film, it is expected to be great and extraordinary, going by the albums to ‘Lagaan’, ‘Swades’ and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, all of which were beautiful albums. Rahman composes eight songs for this movie, and the lyrics are penned by Javed Akhtar. My excitement is engulfing me, so here I proceed with the actual review!!

The album starts off with a grand theme song to the movie, a title song, and also an introduction to the ancient folksy music which we will get a glimpse of in the album. The song starts off with some rustic, earthy chants in an unintelligible language, probably the language which the makers of the film have made up as the language of the Mohenjodaroans gives the song a distinct earthy feel. What’s more, Rahman uses the perfect percussion to make it feel even more ancient. We have to keep in mind that the civilization is one of India’s first civilizations, that existed in the Before Christ era, and Rahman takes that into account and tries to make a song which matches the criteria, as well as appeals to the Bollywood audience. The composition, though it seems very simple and straightforward for a Rahman song at first, works its magic on you after a couple of listens. A good maze of lines that are composed in different manners make up the composition, a variety of twists and turns, even in the simplicity, being its feature. The mukhda is simple, while the antara is very enchanting. The mukhda repeats towards the end, in a female voice, probably Bela’s. The hookline is anthemic, and suitable for the theme of the film, with an ancient civilization to describe. Reminiscent of ‘Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah’ (Jodhaa Akbar), this one too, is a great introduction to the ways of Mohenjo Daro and summarizes the album and the city in 6½ minutes. Rustic wails and vocal noises grace the song, and make it all the more worthwhile. Arijit leads the song gracefully, and is wonderfully supported by a chorus of male and female singers, which I guess are A.R. Rahman, Bela Shende & Sanah. Bela does get a stanza to herself and she does good, though she is not very impressive either. The chorus is what makes the song sound even more lively and junglee, especially the chorus that goes something like “mil Jul aur ghul mil…” Rahman’s arrangements are mind-blowing, a wonderful show of rustic percussion, probably African drums in reality, though I can hear thavils and the like. The fiddle makes a nice special appearance in the interlude, which is rich with the sound of the chorus, which just can’t stop impressing throughout the song. And then there’s the flute. 😍😍😍😍 Rahman always creates magic with the flute, and that’s evident here as well! The clapping beats are also catchy and addictive. At the end, we get a nice dhol-taasha conclusion to the energetic track. Javed Akhtar writes words that aren’t really extraordinary, but they very well describe the city in the eyes of its citizens. All I feel is that it sounds too much like one of Rahman’s dubbed songs, because of the irregular tune. A song that is so energetic, but takes time to grow. Rahman succeeds in transporting us to an era that nobody can imagine to be transported to, except through music!#5StarHotelSong!!

2. Sindhu MaSingers ~ A.R. Rahman & Sanah Moidutty

It is a romantic song that comes next in the album, and it starts with some wind instruments followed by Rahman making tribal noises with his tongue, and these same noises later sound so magical and enchanting that it seems unbelievable. The song proceeds with a stanza sung enchantingly and marvelously by Sanah, who I’m glad has at last got a song where she will be noticed, after that small part in the ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’ song with Vishal-Shekhar. She sings with as much divinity as possible, and Rahman follows with some lines that are irregular in structure but the magic is in their irregularity, first in that Mohenjodaroan language and then in Hindi. 😀 I loved it how each line has a different tune and tempo, yet everything sounds so soothing in Rahman’s distinct voice. It has that deep, nasal quality that impresses so much, and transports you to another world. Rahman’s composition too, is something that takes time to grow, but again, after it has grown, you can’t forget it. It stays there forever. A divine, sweet, innocent, pure romance is indicated through the composition, which is unusually slow-paced, but its slow pace is what appeals. There are lines where the singers have to sing rapidly, and it fits in too well with the surroundings. The pitch change towards the end works well, and the song ends with you feeling fresh and relaxed. The hookline actually has nothing to do with the title, which just comes once in the beginning of the song. Instead, the hookline is the title of a song that is going to come later on in the album, and that song is a version of this or vice versa. Again, it is not a conventional hookline where the listener gets a buy one get one free treat of it, but it comes very humbly and leaves its mark on you. The first time you hear the song, the tribal language in the starting, sung by Rahman might seem over-the-top, but after a few listens, you understand that it gels in inconspicuously with the rest of the song. Rahman’s arrangements are stellar. Guitars lead the arrangements, and of course, a flute impresses with its playful nature in the interlude. Rahman has a chorus singing little attractions throughout the song, and again, this chorus changes the entire listening experience. They add their magic in places which would’ve sounded bland without them. The percussion is wonderful, as well. Strings accompany all this, rather conspicuously, though. Brass instruments and bells are welcome attractions in the song as well. Javed Akhtar’s lyrics are good, but it requires a lot of courage to focus on them, leaving the heavenly composition alone. It is a song that doesn’t actually need great lyrics to propel it along! A ravishing, surreal experience. Both the singers bring out the charm in the composition beautifully!#5StarHotelSong!!

3. SarsariyaSingers ~ Shashwat Singh & Shashaa Tirupati

It is a very enticing folksy rhythm that paves the way into the next song, an enjoyable-to-the-core dance track, which has Rahman in his top form. It is such tracks that even you know, that I love Rahman the most in. On the lines of ‘Kilimanjaro’ (Robot) and a bit of ‘Barso Re’ (Guru) and the whackiness of ‘Mawaali Qawwali’ (Lekar Hum Deewana Dil) and ‘Mona Gasolina’ (Lingaa), this is Rahman with all of his creativity. So as I was saying, the wonderful percussion that makes the song sound so inviting and catchy, takes the listener with surprise, surprise that is born out of the sheer rawness of the rhythm. The tambourines, flutes and the ethnic drums make the prelude something that is very promising. The rest of the song doesn’t disappoint after that promising prelude, though. Rahman comes up with a tune that is so rustic, raw and earthy in its presentation, that you may even believe that Mohenjo Daro’s folk music was like this! The mukhda has a weird addictiveness, and the antara is what gets into the contemplative mode, with a very lilting tune, brought to life by those ravishing drums, once again. And the hookline, oh! It is the hookline that is the USP of the song, a great mix of whacky sounds and those clever tribal lyrics, of which nobody understands neither head nor tail. The “Emase-nana-maya” after the antara makes a very, very clever bridge to the hookline, though completely changing the lulling mood of the antara to a lively one. About the arrangements, whatever I say will not do justice to them. Rahman has employed exquisite and lively instruments to make the song sound genuinely ancient, tribal and folksy. The percussion, that is quite close to the Rajasthani or Kutchi folk, is what infuses life into the song. Charming flutes and strings too, in the latter part of the song, gives it the sweetness required for it to flourish completely. Mandolin scattered throughout in the background captures your attention whenever it plays. An oud-like instrument makes up a wonderful first interlude, while an engrossing rhythm backs the lilting first antara, and makes you sit back and enjoy the song with closed eyes. Matkas and dandiya, typical of the Kutchi folk, have been used generously, and work in favourite of the song. Flute and guitars help the second interlude keep the listener entertained, while the song ends with a wonderful violin conclusion. Coming to the vocals, nothing can be more impressive than what Shashwat and Shashaa have done here. Shashaa particularly, who sings that little gibberish prelude before the Hindi parts start, impresses right away, and we know she is going to impress all throughout the song, which she does! She modulates her voice beautifully, so it sounds just as great in the upbeat portions, as it does in the lilting melodious parts. Shashwat’s voice sound perfectly clear and smooth, unlike what it did in ‘Wat Wat Wat’ (Tamasha), where it sounded folksy. And he impresses highly, though overshadowed by Shashaa. Javed Akhtar has written enjoyable lyrics, especially the alien ones!! A cracker of a song from Rahman, though not outwardly loud and blaring. It proves that dance songs don’t have to be loud and blaring in order to be catchy and addictive!#5StarHotelSong!!

4. Tu HaiSingers ~ A.R. Rahman & Sanah Moidutty

The next song, we are familiar with. It is the part of ‘Sindhu Ma’ without the actual prelude that was an ode to River Sindhu (present-day Indus), which was the sacred river of the Mohenjodaroans. The presence of this version gives a whole different meaning to that song. I had thought while hearing that song, that it is the romantic song of the album. However, it is this version which has the romantic connotation to it. And after hearing this version, we realize that that version was more of a devotional song, an ode to the river, and Javed Akhtar’s lyrics really suit as a romantic as well as a divine song. 😀 Vocals, arrangements, composition and everything else is exactly the same as the latter part of ‘Sindhu Ma’, so no use repeating the review again! 😀 The only thing I could notice that was different, is the starting prelude, which is a beautiful guitar strum here, while it was blended into the devotional prayer in that song. It is all in the different perspectives of the two versions — the former devotional, while this one is romantic.#5StarHotelSong!!

5. Whispers of The Mind / Whispers of The HeartVocals ~ Arjun Chandy

These two tracks are background scores, which are the essence of the film’s setting. The setting of the film is perfectly described and conveyed to the listeners, with those weird tribal-sounding noises amidst a background of chirping crickets and birds, and it sounds like you are out in the wild. Perfect for the theme of the story but not exactly something to enjoy in a music album. Arjun Chandy chants the “whispers” very slowly and mysteriously, and makes the track sound genuine. The “Zoooaaaa” did sound irritating at first, but if the theme of the movie is taken into mind, it fits in well. The “Heart” version has more happening in the form of a divine female chorus singing in the background, and tribal drums playing a wonderful beat towards the end. And, its shorter than the “Mind” version! The “Mind” version runs over four minutes and bores until the end, while there’s a lot to look forward to at the end of the “Heart” version!! It just proves that what your heart says, is better than what your mind does! 😛 LISTEN TO THE HEART! And by that, I mean that the second version is a#5StarHotelSong!!

It is a Rahman album. It cannot finish without an instrumental of at least one of the tracks! And so, we have an instrumental of ‘Tu Hai’ presented to us, with guitars, strings and flutes carrying the heavenly tune on their shoulders. Rahman employs wonderful guitars played by Keba Jeremiah, for the base melody of the song, and it sounds sooooo idyllic! Imagine what would happen when beautiful flutes and orchestral strings join that melody! You don’t need to imagine, however, as Rahman saves you the effort of doing so, by adding them himself! The flutes by Kareem Kamalakar are well-done, and played in the most unexpected places, in a delightful classical way. It is the strings that infuse grandeur into the already a majestic instrumentation. The blissful melody, when played in that slow pace, sounds as pretty as ever. A heavenly reprise of the entrancing love ballad.#5StarHotelSong!!

7. Lakh Lakh ThoraInstrumental by ~ Tapas Roy & P.M.K. Naveen Kumar

A very oriental-sounding Oud opens the last song on the album, and before you think of anything else, that addictive tune of ‘Sarsariya’ comes back to you, and you realize it is the same tune. Therefore, this song is an instrumental version of that one, which was my favourite vocal song out of the three. Tapas Roy with the oud and the mandolin, impresses highly, and the glory of the song lies in the brilliance with which he plays them! It has the power to attract your attention, and even though it is a background piece, it is just as great as an actual song — can be played, hummed and danced to. 😀 Rahman many other attractions like the percussion (the djembe is really great!) and water drops. The way the string instrument has been played in what’s supposed to be the interlude of the song (you can’t make out as all it is, is just instruments 😛 ) is sooooo beautiful. Naveen Kumar joins in quite late, and plays a few lines on the flute before the song ends. Whoever has done the percussions, really knows his or her job very well! They’re engaging and help the song stay to its catchy nature. CATCHY!!! The Oud and Mandolin make things way more catchier!#5StarHotelSong!!

Mohenjo Daro completely lives up to expectations. I mean, I was expecting a lot more, and was quite disappointed during the first time I heard it, but later I realized how each song has been made to suit the film and its ancient setting and not even one song extra has been crammed into the album, which explains why it’s just three-tracks-long (if you practically see it). Rahman uses a great blend of traditional and even modern instruments to make songs sounding ancient and folksy! Though we never imagined Mohenjo Daro and its music like this when we were taught about in school, thanks to Rahman, that information about the recreation of the Mohenjodaroans has got some life now! 😛 I also noticed that he has used relatively new singers in most of the songs — Arijit and Bela being the only exceptions, and of course, himself. Sanah Moidutty, Shashaa Tirupati and Shashwat Singh are the singers he has used, and they literally infuse life into the album, while at the same time, they’re gonna establish themselves in Bollywood with this album. And then there are those ravishing background pieces, out of which one bored me (frankly speaking…! Sorry!!) but the other three really fascinated me! Rahman has really given us a glimpse of Sindhu Ma’s sangeet!

Dil Dhadakne Do is an upcoming Bollywood comedy drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar, and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. When Zoya is the director, you can rest assured that there would be an ensemble cast associated with the film, and that the film is going to showcase a slice-of-life, something with which you can relate to. This film stars Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Anushka Sharma, Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah and Rahul Bose. Zoya continues her trend of naming her movies after songs from her previous movie. This time she takes inspiration from the song “Dil Dhadakne Do” from her previous film, “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”. The film revolves around a dysfunctional Punjabi family, and how they set out on a cruise trip, and their adventures along the way. Ranveer and Priyanka play siblings, while Anushka plays Ranveer’s love interest, and Anil & Shefali play Priyanka & Ranveer’s parents. Farhan plays a friend of Priyanka’s and Rahul plays the role of her husband. So with so many characters, we can expect a grand and sophisticated outing. Zoya resorts to her regulars, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, to helm the music of the film, and of course, expectations are high like always from them! Even higher because it’s with Zoya Akhtar, given that the combo of them and Zoya have given memorable albums in the past. So, does the trio continue with their commendable work even in this album? Read on to find out what exactly they have to offer!!

1. Dil Dhadakne DoSingers ~ Priyanka Chopra & Farhan Akhtar

The opening track on the album awes us right from the instant we put our eyes on the names of the singers. The film has an advantage in that, two of its lead actors can sing. And Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy do not miss this opportunity, making both Priyanka and Farhan come together behind the mic to try and make the best of this opportunity. The track starts with the compulsory spunk and pizzazz that is needed in these kind of tracks to allure the audience towards them. Being a title track, it would definitely not have been easy for the trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to come up with something catchy right away. The hookline which they ultimately have retained in the song too, doesn’t get you addicted right away, but will grow like slow poison. Sounds like clapping, shouting and other weird vocals increase the experimentation factor of the song, yet keep it entertaining. The overall composition is not short of a lively, energetic song that will eventually have you up and about. Arrangements are great in their place, and succeed in keeping your attention towards the song. Brass instruments, drums, all gather your attention and make sure you enjoy yourself throughout the song. Javed Akhtar’s lyrics are good, too, talking about the unusuality of life, and how we should keep living life in spite of anything. If there is anything that makes this song appear not up to the mark, it has got to be the vocals. Though it was a nice idea to have lead actors croon the song, it didn’t quite work out as good as they might’ve wanted it to. Though Priyanka sounds good with her husky, appealing voice and her short interventions that increase the addictiveness of the song, Farhan is a huge letdown. The husky and grainy texture of his voice, which Pritam had succeeded in getting rid of in ‘Shaadi Ke Side/Effects’, returns even huskier than before, proving as a huge hurdle, which may affect the song’s reach big-time. Also, he doesn’t sound as good as he did in other songs of his! I wonder what happened! What I have to say, is that the promotional idea of having the actors sing, backfired on the makers themselves!! Vocals could’ve been way better!

2. Pehli BaarSingers ~ Sukriti Kakkar & Siddharth Mahadevan

A lively and rejuvenating rock rhythm makes you forget about whatever slight disappointment the opening track gave you, and gives you the urge to move on to welcome the next track in an unprejudiced manner. The synth rhythm with which the track starts, joined by catchy rock guitars that are surely going to remind you of ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara), create the perfect ambience that is required in such a song, namely, a romantic rock ballad. When I say romantic, I don’t necessarily mean calm and soft, however. Because this song is anything but that! Energetic, spunky and dynamic beats and arrangements help the track become what it is, and the youthfulness that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have infused into the track is just unbelievable. It would look magnificent onscreen as well. The composition, though resembling the aforementioned song at many places throughout the song, still has the vibe and infectious quality which enhances the song and eventually diminishes out the slight déjà vu feeling. Especially in the antara, things get really interesting, slowing down and steering away from typicality and convention. Wonderful beats and arrangements that accompany the composition right from the beginning to the end, do provide that addictive nature that one looks for in any song. Mostly placed on rock arrangements like drums and electric guitars, which give the song the youthful and flamboyant touch, you feel an instant surge of energy as soon as you hear the song, thanks to the enthusiastic treatment the song has gone through. Javed saab’s writing wouldn’t make you feel at all, that someone his age has written it, simply because of the fact that the lyrics are just as child-like, youthful, full-of-gusto and refreshing as the composition and arrangements. You won’t find yourself coming across any stale lines in the song, thanks to the new-age, simple and relateable lyrics which the man has penned down. For the last, I have saved the praise that the two singers, Siddharth and Sukriti deserve. Siddharth, now a regular in each and every one of the trio’s albums, delivers the tune in a enlivening manner, accompanied brilliantly by the third Kakar sibling, Sukriti, getting a relaunch after some forgettable songs, which she might not have even imagined, with the most well-known composer trio of the industry. Both of them complement each other perfectly, and the perfect amount of cheeriness can be heard in the track, as a result of their outstanding combo. An engaging affair, from start to end!! Full marks for the brilliant pairing of Siddharth & Sukriti!!#5StarHotelSong!!

No Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy album feels complete without some weird, unusual and out-of-this-world experimentation, which takes you by surprise at first, but gradually grows on you so quickly, that it feels as if it is a part of your own self! The next song makes you go through the exact same feeling yet again, with the trio experimenting in various ways, resultantly churning out an enjoyable, trippy and chartbusting material type of track. This time, they start off the song with those weirdly addictive techno beats that come across as desi, and the regular band-baaja shown in films about Punjabi families. But in no time, the familiarity wears away, only to reveal an underlying freshness and trippiness that’ll make you go crazy after it. Novelty takes a new form for itself with this track, and the trio, who always ends up surprising in such tracks, do nothing less here! As Sukhwinder, one of the trio’s regulars, aptly starts with something that usually precedes rock Qawwalis with the rustic voice of his and the Qawwali-flavoured tune, everything comes right into place — beats, arrangements and the infectiousness of the song. It seems that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have a whole treasure trove of such songs, out of which they can pick any song, anytime, and can rest assured that it will strike chords with the audience. The composition follows a really wound-up path, switching direction abruptly, yet appealing nevertheless! Though many parts contradict the parts that follow, you end up getting accustomed to the abruptness of the track in no time. The uniqueness is what eventually makes the track stand out. And the arrangements are just as different and distinctive. The usual Punjabi wedding beats like dhols, nagadas and tablas are of course, evident, but in addition to that, the trio wonderfully includes awesome techno beats that you can’t help but groove along to! And the diversity which the track showcases in its voices, is unbelievably marvelous! Each of the singers does his/her own part with such perfection, that it leaves no flaws to talk about, in that department! Sukhwinder bringing the folk flavour, Yashita bringing the urban touch, Shankar enacting an old man, Farhan surprisingly impressing in this track, and Manish wonderfully increasing the quirk, all do well! And these are just the people who are credited! More singers are on the track, who are sadly uncredited by T-Series! They too, increase the likability of the song. Javed’s lyrics make for a wonderful family outing song, a shed-all-worries-and-dance type of track. Wonderful in all aspects!! Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s experimentations very rarely go wrong!! So what’re you waiting for? Hear this immediately and wait for its magic to infect you!#5StarHotelSong!!

4. Girls Like To SwingSinger ~ Sunidhi Chauhan

So, this album also comes with a surprise and that is, a retro-styled cabaret jazz track! With relatively newcomers like Mikey McCleary (‘Margarita With A Straw’, ‘Bombay Velvet’), Krsna (‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’) and the more well-known Amit Trivedi (‘Bombay Velvet’) trying out their hand at jazz music, now it’s time to witness some jazz coming from some of the most experienced composers of the industry, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy! And how beautifully they manage to bring in the perfect “SWING” to this track, guaranteeing that we will have a gala time while hearing it and dancing to it. The usual jazz percussion leads us into the track, before it gets into the quirky trumpets, trombones, tubas and whatnot. Right from the first listen, you may not find yourself getting hooked to it, but as the track progresses and as you keep hearing it repeatedly, it will surely grow. Why? There are many reasons. First of all, a trio like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy cannot go wrong in the arrangements, at least not at this stage of their career! That makes things pretty enticing and you find yourself waiting for whatever surprise the next line of the song has in store for you, as far as arrangements are concerned. Secondly, the composition is another wild, crazy but catchy one, which doesn’t try to grab your attention forcefully like some Honey Singh songs, but instead, gives you your own sweet time for it to grow on you. And believe me, when this track infects you, it will do so very badly!! The hookline has been so aptly composed as per the title and situation of the song, and it might be the only part of the song that instantly stands out. Sunidhi, who keeps proving herself versatile with each song, is perfect here, too. Her companions give her good company, and I think even Priyanka Chopra sings (I mean “talks”) a line in the song. If she has, she hasn’t been credited, and neither have the wonderful backing vocalists that bring half the magic into the song. Without them, the song wouldn’t have been even half as catchy. One thing I would like to point out is that, in the antara, the song takes a rather unexpected turn, with a tempo change, going from all-out peppy, to a different kind of ‘peppy’, with a slower tempo. That part is to die for!! Javed saab writes perfect situational lyrics, that don’t really have much to praise, nor condemn, in them. Go for it!! Peppy, addictive, quirky and above all… SWINGY!#5StarHotelSong!!

After that energetic boost which makes up more than half of the album, finally calm and soothing music lovers get a reason to rejoice. Four tracks full of gusto and energy must have exhuasted the composers as well as singers big time. And so, the trio comes to what I think they’re best at — creating thoughtful, passionate and mind-blowingly soothing tracks. A Zoya Akhtar album without a song about life, it’s like no milk in ice cream, simply not done. So here come the trio with a grandest-of-the-grand finale to the album. Five singers behind the mic, each given wonderful and dreamy portions to sing, each singing their parts confidently and majestically, what else could you have asked for!? All of the singers, we have heard previously (except newcomer Sapna Pathak — who does a wonderful job as well!) and each have been given memorable parts. After hearing the song, when you would find yourself humming any line, you will also find yourself immediately associating that line with the singer who performs it in the song — such is the impact of the vocals. Farhan’s husky voice suits this song very well, indeed! And Divya, singing for the trio for the second time in Bollywood, does wonders with his free-flowing part. The female vocalists with their dusky voice bring in a haunting feeling, and Vishal stands tall among all of these! He is spectacular yet again. Of course, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s tune has in it that pensive quality, which everyone must be looking for in this album, right from the first song. But the way the singers have carried it all out, is fascinating. The composition is slow poison, and grows on you with time and again, very marvelously. The arrangements and recording done on the track is fabulous, mostly on synthetic beats, yet very appealing. Javed Akhtar has written very philosophical lyrics, very meaningful and written right from the heart. It sounds great to hear such wonderful lyrics after such a long time. 🙂 A grand finale to this album, which is totally worth the wait!!! Like a prize waiting for you at the end of a Boss Level in any video game. 😀 #5StarHotelSong!!

Dil Dhadakne Do is not one of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s instantly addictive and listen-on-loop type of albums which they always give, but it has that quality that makes you develop an affinity towards it as time passes. All tracks have been crafter with pure genius efforts, and it results in another mind blowing album from the trio. Plus, with all those peppy numbers, it makes for an awesome summertime album to keep you busy! So forget everything and Sun le gaane goodiyaan!!!

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